Assassins Creed AU
by MarikaFromCincy
Summary: Shortly after being transferred to the Roma order in disgrace, loner assassin Carmilla accidentally recruits an eager young woman hoping to save her father.
1. Chapter 1

Carmilla crouched lowly on the beam off the Borgia tower. The hay stack in the middle of the wooden platform burned widely behind her. The flames were high enough for her comrades in the Assassin's tower halfway across the city to see it. A guard ran at her shouting in a dialect she didn't understand.

She pointed at him and smiled. She yanked her hood over her eyes and dove off the tower. She free fell through the air with her arms at her sides. She pulled them in as the ground quickly approached. She held them close to her chest and twisted so her back hit the hay pile in the cart below the Borgia tower. She sunk nearly to the bottom.

She laughed to herself as she jerked herself into a sitting position. Her head barely appeared out of the hay. A hand grasped hers underneath the hay. She let herself be pulled out and propelled over the cart onto her feet.

She landed gracefully in the midst of a busy Roman street.

"Thanks, LaF," Carmilla said to the doctor who had assisted her so many times.

"You owe me, assassin," LaF stated pointing at her.

Carmilla shrugged and threw out her arms as reached a ladder on a building behind her friends' view.

"That inn down the street, owned by what's her name, Perry. I'll meet you for drinks just after sunset," Carmilla shouted with an excited nod.

A few people on the street made awkward eye contact with her. She attempted to break it and focused on the more established members of court.

Carmilla quickly scaled the ladder to the rooftop.

She made her way across several buildings. She then landed on a building covered with Borgia guards. She quickly jumped to a different one. Carmilla scanned the outer rooftops. She was perched on the top of a roof between two stores and taking in the action happening below her.

One of the Borgia leaders was talking to the solider that was leading the new assault against the citizens. It had been decided there was too much civil unrest and anyone seen showing opposition to the Borgia was being arrested.

Carmilla had been charged with tracking the solider. His name was Theo, he joined the army as a teenager and liked to patronize a brothel near the river. She was getting information on him. Her mentor hadn't decided if he was a target yet.

She heard a struggle and a scream that seemed to be coming from the other side of the building. She scurried toward it and away from Theo and the others who turned at the noise. Carmilla leaned over the edge of the other side of the roof and saw what was causing the commotion.

Two Borgia soldiers were trying to subdue a small woman between them. Carmilla smiled for a moment. She looking comically small beside them but was still putting up a pretty good fight. But then the solider behind her put his arms around her neck and she struggled against him. The second one started to come at her.

Carmilla peered at the other side of the roof. Hopefully this all didn't end horribly.

She flipped out her hidden blade and jumped off the roof. She landed on the second soldier and drove her blade into his neck. With the horrible noise he made as he died and the spray of blood, the first soldier was caught off guard enough for the woman to turn him around. Carmilla grabbed him by the shoulder and stabbed him in the neck. He collapsed in the pool of blood beside the other.

"What the-what-whoa," the woman spattered as she backed away slightly.

"Uh-huh," Carmilla said as she kicked the lever on the pulley platform behind her, grabbed the rope and propelled herself back onto the roof top. She rushed across and crouched down again.

The Borgia leader was handing two rolled up pieces of parchment to Theo. They looked too big to be letters, probably maps.

"Hey," the woman said from behind Carmilla.

Carmilla spun around and saw her standing a few feet behind her. "How did you get up here?"

"I climbed the wall," she said with a shrug. "I didn't get a chance to thank you for saving me."

"You're welcome, cupcake." She turned back to watch her target. "Now leave or you are going to blow my cover."

Carmilla had thought the woman obeyed her until she appeared, crouched beside her.

"What are you doing?" Carmilla demanded.

She was ignored as the young woman leaned forward a bit to see what Carmilla was looking at. Carmilla glanced over at her.

She was turning out differently then she thought she would. But then Carmilla hadn't thought much about what she would be like when she jumped down to save her. She seemed a few years younger than her. She was wearing all men's clothes. Each piece looked faded and torn like she had wearing it for too long.

Every exposed inch of skin was smeared with dirt or soot. Between that and the dramatic way her hair was braided into both sides of her head, Carmilla found her much more intimidating up close than she did from the roof top.

"Is that one Theo, the new leader?" she asked still looking at the men.

Carmilla pulled her eyes from her. "Yeah, he is rounding up everyone for–"

"'Civil unrest'," she finished with a scoff. "Which is just another faux protective way for the Borgia to arrest anyone who disagrees with them."

Carmilla peered over at her again. This time she noticed and meet her eyes. She seemed to take a moment to decide if she would say anything.

"My father was arrested about five years ago," she stated.

"Is he…" Carmilla suddenly found herself too nervous to finish asking.

"I don't know," she looked back at the men. "Last time I got word, he was in the Borgia dungeons. I don't have any money or anyway to help him unless…" she shrugged at Carmilla with a smile and wide-eyes.

"What?" she replied cautiously.

"Oh come on, you're with the Assassins aren't you?"

"Yeah, but I can't just–"

"I know," she said excitedly. "That isn't what I'm asking. I want to be able to help him myself someday."

"Wait, are you asking me to recruit you?" Carmilla inquired.

"Yes, please."

"Sorry, cutie. I don't do recruits anymore," Carmilla replied, looking away from her and down at the men again.

"I can climb, I can fight pretty well. I know these streets, I know the people. I can help. Let me prove myself," she pleaded.

Carmilla gazed at her. She was already annoying her, but in a nice kind of way. And her mentor would be pleased if she came back with a recruit.

"Fine. You can come along with me on my next mission. But I should probably learn your name so I know what to write on the tombstone when you get yourself killed."

"Very funny. And it's Laura."

"Carmilla."

***  
"We just have to climb it. That isn't even hard," Laura said over her shoulder to Carmilla as she grabbed the lowest ledge.

"Wait a second, creampuff," Carmilla said as she pulled her back. "There are guards on each level. We either have to get pass them without being seen or take them out without anyone else seeing."

"And then we get the letters with Borgia seals out of the top room?" Laura asked.

"Or anything with the Templar crest," Carmilla said uncertainly. She didn't think that was going to happen but it had been given to her as an objective. It wasn't her place to question.

"All right," Laura asked excitedly. "So, can we go?" she motioned to the tower.

"Do you even have a weapon?" Carmilla asked.

Laura nodded and then pulled a very small knife out of her boot.

Carmilla sighed in annoyance. She undid the clasp of one of her sword belts. She walked over and placed it around Laura.

"You can take the short sword," she told her as she fastened the belt around her. "Just use it sparingly."

"I will."

"Good, now we can go," Carmilla stated.

Carmilla figured Laura would fall behind a bit but she was nearly at Carmilla's side the entire time. They reached the first balcony. Carmilla motioned for Laura to hang back as she peered over the legend. A guard had just turned the corner out of sight and the other seemed to be lagging behind.

Carmilla peered down to Laura. They both quickly jumped up the length of the balcony. They scaled to the next level and past it without a problem. They were approaching the top room. Carmilla motioned to the open window and Laura nodded. She was closer and slid in first. Carmilla heard a yelp. She jumped onto the window ledge and saw a man coming toward Laura, who was hunched on the ground below her.

Carmilla launched herself off the ledge and pierced the man's neck with her hidden blade. She yanked her blade out of his neck and pulled her herself off his dead body. She turned back to Laura.

She was shakily getting to her feet. "Borgia seals, Templar crests," she said before Carmilla could ask her anything.

Carmilla nodded. She started looking through the bookshelves and tables against the walls. She found a letter with a Borgia seal. It just seemed to be simple guard instructions but she shoved it into the leather pouch on her belt anyway.

"Whoa, what is this?" Laura asked.

Carmilla turned to her. She held up a wooden craving that seemed to be glowing.

"No idea," Carmilla stated as she walked toward her.

"Should we take it?" Laura said with a smile.

Carmilla was about to reply when she heard a clambering in the hallway.

She starting nudging Laura to the window. "Out now."

"But I didn't finish searching the desk," Laura admitted as she starting climbing out the window.

Carmilla groaned as she glanced from the window to the desk in a panic. "Get to the roof. I'll meet you in a second."

Laura hesitated then nodded and climbed out. Carmilla hurried over to the desk. She found two papers with Borgia seals under average looking maps. She pulled open the draws. Only the last one had something worth her attention in it. It was an envelope with a Templar crest and a burn mark the size of craving Laura had grabbed. She shoved it into her pouch and rushed to the window.

She reached for the roof shingles once she was outside but a hand grasped her instead and pulled her up.

"Thanks," Carmilla told Laura as she reached the roof beside her.

"Yeah, maybe don't thank me so fast. We have a plan from here?"

Carmilla stood and peered over the circular tower ledge on all sides. The sun was nearly set and she could barely see the roof tops below her.

"Dammit," Carmilla huffed. "We are going to have to climb down until we reach those rooftops."

Laura leaned over to see where she was motioning too. "Holy really far."

"Have you ever heard of a Byzantine hook blade?" Carmilla asked her young recruit with a smile.

"A what? No," Laura replied, giving Carmilla the answer she expected. "Is it going to get us out of this situations before those soldiers reach us?"

"At least until those rooftops," Carmilla stated as she unlaced her hidden blade and replaced it with the hook blade from her belt.

She flipped out the hook blade and stood with her back to the roof's edge. She took a deep breathe.

"Well come hang on. I only have the one," Carmillla stated, motioning for Laura to hang onto her.

"Wait, I have to… "

"No time to be coy, cupcake. The soldiers are coming."

Laura nervously walked over and clasped her arms around Carmilla's neck. She turned her head to look up at her but quickly looked down when she realized how close their lips where.

"We have to run as soon as we hit the roofs. You ready?" Carmilla asked, suddenly feeling far more nervous with Laura so close to her.

She nodded eagerly. "Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Ok," Carmilla exhaled nervously. "1,2,3."

She jumped backwards. She let them freefall for a moment until she pressed her hook blade against the wall of the tower. They continued down for a moment more until the blade caught a window's edge.

Laura gasped and held Carmilla tighter. Carmilla looked down.

"A little bit further, cupcake," she replied.

"Ugh, hurry up," Laura answered.

"Hmm, not enjoying yourself then?" Carmilla asked, but she released her blade and sent them down before the younger girl could answer.

Carmilla hooked the wall just above the rooftops. Laura quickly jumped down and Carmilla unhooked. The assassin peered up and heard yelling and dodged back.

"Run now!" Carmilla instructed.

They both took off across the rooftops.

"What was that?" Laura yelled as something hit the shingles between them as they ran.

"Poison knives," Carmilla said. She took Laura's hand. "Come on there is a garden this way."

They made their way over the roofs of a few more buildings and leaped the length of one alley before Carmilla pulled Laura into the rooftop garden. Carmillla landed hard on her back and she pulled Laura on top of her.

"Uh," Laura reacted at their closeness.

"Shh," Carmilla responded.

Carmilla was peering at the wall of the garden and breathing heavily but quietly. Laura was trying not to focus on how beautifully she looked with her raven hair falling perfectly around her neck and shoulders but this was the first time she had truly seen it. Her hood had fallen onto her back sometime between them escaping the Borgia tower and laying atop each other on rooftop somewhere.

Carmilla turned her head back to look at Laura and peered up with her eyes and mouth directly below hers. They lingered there for a moment before Laura inched down. Her lips met Carmilla's and they kissed eagerly. Neither had felt that close to someone in such a long time.

But the sweet moment was broken when they heard yelling outside the garden. Carmilla perked up but stared at the wall of the garden confused. Laura laughed a bit and smiled.

"What?" she pried in a whisper.

"You don't know Italian that well do you?" Laura asked with a smile.

"Everyone uses dialects and words I don't recognize. So, yes it had been a bit of a problem," Carmilla admitted annoyed.

"Holy Roman Empire?" Laura guessed at the accent.

"Austria," Carmilla answered.

"My second guess," Laura added with a grin.

"Of course," Carmilla answered. "Now, do you know what they said?"

"They think we are basic thieves and that we went the other way," Laura told her.

"Good, please get off me now," Carmilla stated.

"Right, of course," Laura said as she rolled off her and got to her feet.

Carmilla climbed out of the roof garden and Laura followed.

"So, uh, did I pass?" Laura asked as she hurried after Carmilla who started making her way across the rooftops again.

"What?"

"Like do I get to be an assassin now?" Laura asked excited.

"You have my recommendation. That is your first test. Now you just have to get my mentor's approval."

"Is there where we are headed now?" Laura asked as they dropped off a rooftop, onto an awning and down into the street.

"No," Carmilla stated. "Now, we are headed to an inn. I promised a friend I would meet them for drinks."

"Wait, which tavern?" Laura asked.

"The one just around the corner for here near where we…met."

"Perry's inn?" Laura asked excitedly.

"Yeah. You know Perry?" Carmilla asked.

Laura nodded eagerly and was nearly jumping with excitement. "She lets me stay there sometimes when there are empty rooms. And I do odd jobs for her occasionally."

Carmilla felt a desperate need to ask the girl again about her living situation but she quickly pulled open the door to Perry's inn and nearly ran to the bar. Carmilla slowly followed her.

"Assassin, you're late," LaF said from their barstool, oddly only one empty one was left between them and Laura.

Carmilla took the empty one and pushed her hood onto her back. "Well hey, did you have a good time in my absence?"

LaF gazed at her skeptically. "Yes, but doesn't mean I'm not ann–. Fine, thank you," they admitted.

"You're welcome," Carmilla said with a smile.

LaF's attention was drawn away from Carmilla anyway when the beautiful, curly-haired inn keeper they had been pining after for months appeared before them.

"Hi Perry, can I get an ale?" Carmilla asked.

But she was ignored and Perry directed all her attention to Carmilla's left.

"Little Laura, what are you doing with these two?" Perry asked seemingly scolding the girl.

"I'm not getting myself into any trouble. Carmilla's with the assassins. She is going to train me and then I can be one of them like I always dreamed about. And maybe one day I'll be able to get into the dungeons and save my dad," Laura excitedly informed the angry looking bartender.

"Aw, fuck," Carmilla whispered down into the bar.

LaF patted her shoulder. "Yeah this is going to go badly for you, friend."

"May I speak with you in private, Carmilla?" Perry demanded.

Carmilla groaned but quickly stood.

"You sit here with LaFontaine, Little Laura. I will be back in a moment."

Perry stormed over to the storage area to the right of then bar. Carmilla followed, knowing this would not go well.

"What were you thinking recruit an innocent, young girl like her?" Perry instantly scolded.

"I didn't," Carmilla shot back.

"Clearly, you have."

"It wasn't like that. I didn't go looking for a recruit. She found me more than I found her."

"How could you even want to after what happen to the last recruits the two of you had?" Perry pleaded.

Carmilla bit the inside of her lip forcefully. "I didn't. I saved a girl on the street from being harassed by two Borgia guards."

"You must have known I would disagree with this," Perry added.

"I didn't know you knew her until 10 seconds before we walked in here," Carmilla stated.

"She didn't," Laura said nervously as she leaned around the wall of the storage area. "Carmilla had no idea that I knew you or that I've been waiting to join the assassins for years. She just jumped off a roof to save me this morning and then let me come with her to prove that I could be an assassin too."

Perry looked anxiously from Laura to Carmilla.

"Promise me she isn't going to be the next Ell or JP," Perry said sadly and seriously to Carmilla.

Carmilla nodded. "I promise."

Perry looked to Laura. She quickly went over and let Perry hug her tightly. Carmilla felt uncomfortable for a moment, like she was pulling Laura away from her family but based on the way Laura had explained it to her her family was in a Borgia dungeon somewhere and she needed Carmilla's help to break him out.

Part of Laura's family might be left behind in that tavern but Carmilla knew it was the same for her. Her goodbye wasn't going to be the same. She peered back to the bar.

LaF raised their glass. Carmilla nodded in respond. It wasn't as big of a deal for them. They had separated this way a handful of times since they reached Roma.

Carmilla strolled outside Perry's inn and into the street as she had every other time. Laura seemed nervous and grabbed her hand.


	2. Chapter 2

Carmilla reached the ledge with the entrance to the assassin's Roma headquarters. She extended her arm over the ledge and pulled Laura up.

When the dirty, but tough, innocent but strong girl appeared above the ledge Carmilla felt just as conflicted about her as she had since the moment she appeared on a rooftop beside her nearly 18 hours ago.

"What?" Laura asked with a smile when she noticed Carmilla staring at her.

"Sorry, I'm just nervous about this," Carmilla admitted, already saying more than she wished to.

"Hey," Laura said motioning at herself with both hands. "I will do fine."

Carmilla half grinned. She pushed open the door for the assassin headquarters and walked inside. Laura closely followed.

Carmilla tried to keep her head down as she made her way to the mentor's meeting room.

"Whoa is that a recruit, Karnstein?" yelled Mel, a weathered looking assassin, with a band of similar looking women around her.

"Thought you were done with that after your last little mishap?" called a tall, red-head.

"Oh sorry Lawrence, we can't all recruit AWOL soldiers and make it unfairly easy on ourselves," Carmilla shot back at the red-head and the equally tall man standing beside her.

Carmilla strode into the empty hallway leading for the mentor's rooms.

"Whoa, Carmilla," Laura questioned as she caught up to her. "Why is everyone being so mean to you? Whoa."

Carmilla's mentor descending the stairs of her rooms instantly silenced Laura, as Carmilla hoped she would.

"Oh darling, have you actually brought home a recruit?" Mattie asked as she closed in on Laura and ran her fingernails down the side of her face.

"Yes, but she more recruited herself," Carmilla admitted.

"Really?" Mattie asked shooting an intrigued look from Carmilla to Laura. "Now tell me, girl. Why should I allow Mircalla here to keep you around?"

Laura hunched away from her as she cut she face with her nail.

"Mattie," Carmilla pleaded.

"Oh come now, she is to be an assassin but cannot handle a little blood?" Mattie admitted.

"I'll take blood when it is necessary. Like in an actual fight, but when you it is just you trying to show how powerful you are that doesn't seem fair. And what is this proving I'm either willing to obey your every whim or dumb enough to...defy you..." Laura groaned and deflated. "That was probably not the right response but I can still prove myself."

Mattie backed away from her and smiled. "You are an odd choice, but I like you."

"Does that mean I'm in?" Laura asked excitedly peering over to Carmilla.

"Not quite, kitten. You have to be initiated," Mattie turned back to the stairs but then stopped and held her hand out to Laura. "Follow me."

Laura peered cautiously at Carmilla.

"Sorry, cupcake. You have to do this part alone," Carmilla replied.

Laura took a deep breath and followed Mattie up the stairs into mentor's rooms. Carmilla stood alone for a moment at the button of the stairs. She hardly spent any time at the Roma headquarters. She hadn't been there that long. She had a bad reputation going in and had no interesting in trying to fix it with the other assassins.

She turned to head to her room. She was tempted to climb the bookcase, get into the rafters and drop into her room from above, but everyone saw her walk into Mattie's rooms. They were expecting to see her walk out.

She took two steps into the hallway and realized nobody would notice her. One of Mel's new recruits seemed to have challenged Danny's giant ex-soldier puppy to a sparring match.

 _This outta be good_ , Carmilla thought as she back tracked, climbed the book case, jumped back to the stone ledge of Mattie's balcony and then jumped across into the rafters. She perched on one at the edge of her room and watched the fight from above.

Another one of Mel's band launched at Danny's puppy just as he defeated the first one.

"Whoa! Whoa, not the rules we agreed on," Kirsch shouted as he started to fight her off.

Carmilla smiled to herself. Though she was constantly at odds with Danny, Kirsch had been nice to her. He seemed too innocent to act otherwise.

But Kirsh quickly left Carmilla's mind when she saw Laura slowly walk into her room. She was in an Assassin's uniform now, with the hood down and her hair in a cleaner version of the same dramatic braids.

Carmilla turned slowly and peered down at her. She had found her attractive before but know it just seemed unfair. How was she supposed to not fall for her?

Carmilla dropped from the rafters, rolled once she hit the cushions on the ground and landed on her feet in front of Laura, who had jumped back a few steps into a defensive stance.

"Hey," Carmilla said.

"Hey."

"That looks better than those rags you had on before," Carmilla commented.

"Yeah well the streets can do that to already garbage worthy clothing," Laura replied.

"So it was the streets then?" Carmilla added.

Laura nodded. "Hard to keep a place when you're left on your own at 14."

She peered around the room nervously for a moment and then raised an eyebrow at Carmilla.

"But even then I knew how to get basic furniture. Your bedroom doesn't have a bed," Laura pointed out.

"Some things are much more alluring than beds," Carmilla informed her as she dropped down onto one of the multiple large cushions piled against one wall.

Laura gazed at her for a moment, like she did back in that rooftop garden, but then laughed awkwardly.

Carmilla smiled, pleased with herself.

"They had them at the Constantinople headquarters. We took a liking to them," Carmilla admitted sitting up more.

Laura cautiously sat near her. "We?"

"LaF and I."

"Perry's friend, LaF? I thought they are a doctor," Laura questioned.

"They are," Carmilla admitted. She started fiddling with the fringe of the cushion. "They-uh they used to be an assassin too," she muttered.

"Really?" Laura replied as she was failing to picture it in her head. She had only spoken to LaFontaine a handful of times but they had been coming by the inn for months, mostly looking for Perry.

"Why'd they leave?" Laura asked.

Carmilla slowly looked up at Laura but then bit her lip and looked back down at the cushion.

"You know, if I ask a more senior member of the order about another member they are supposed to tell me everything they know. Or at least that is what big sis Mattie said," Laura teased, hoping she would pick up on her offer to change the subject.

Carmilla rolled her eyes. "Of course, she couldn't pass up an opportunity to get that word in."

"It was my fault. I asked how she met you, thinking I would get some recruiting story but instead she just replied 'when Mother brought a sad broken kitten home from the orphanage'," Laura stated.

Carmilla smiled at her Mattie impression.

"So did you never grow out of the copying your big sister stage?" Laura asked with a grin.

Carmilla shook her head. "Family business. Our mother is the head of the order in Austria."

"Damn, didn't realize I got myself recruited by assassin royalty," Laura joked.

"I would hardly say that," Carmilla said trying to joke but it just came out sad.

Her statement raised a million questions for Laura but she already felt like she had pried too much. So, she followed Carmila's lead when she started removing her weapons and laid down for the night.

Laura wasn't sure where to lay on the cushions that covered about half the room. Carmilla seemed to be asleep when Laura finally picked a spot. Laura wasn't that far away from her but she could be a whole lot closer.

Laura was jolted awake the following morning by some sort of deafening horn.

Carmilla groaned as she rolled over.

"What in the name of our lord and savior is that?" Laura asked as she started to stand up.

Carmilla was still flopped face down on her cushions. "Mattie's special alarm." She rubbed her face as she turned and sat up. "Order wide mission."

"Is that bad?" Laura asked nervously as she stood and started putting on her weapons.

Carmilla shook her head as she started doing the same. "Can be, but this is probably just an information gathering thing. We still don't know much about what the Borgia are up to."

Carmilla left the room and Laura went chasing after.

"Wait, wait, I don't get like a training day or anything? You are just going to throw me into some mission?" Laura questioned concerned.

Carmilla smirked at her. "Is that not what I did yesterday, cupcake? Besides you will be with the other newer members providing backup."

Carmilla fell silent and stopped at the back of the group gathered at the bottom of the stairs leading to the head of the order's quarters. Mattie was standing a few stairs up giving assignments to the crowd. Everyone left after they received their assignments.

Laura heard Carmilla groan when only they and Danny and her recruits were left.

"Ginger giant, kitty cat, the two of you will be infiltrating the Borgia camp at the east end of the city," Mattie informed them. "Figure out what their plans are. Stay together we have been hearing rumblings about an Austrian baron and we don't need information we can't translate."

Carmilla nodded. Laura watched Danny fidget and huff before she also nodded.

"Well, run along now," Mattie said to dismiss them.

Danny turned first and she and her five recruits headed for the main doors. Carmilla turned to follow and Laura fell in line beside her.

The eight of them parted ways and met again at the eastern wall of the city.

"Sneaking in would be the best plan," Danny stated as they all peered down at the camp below them.

"We would need uniforms," Carmilla added.

"I punched out two guards on the way here. They aren't far," Kirsch stated.

"Well glad your lack of stealth in coming in handy for once," Carmilla shot back.

Danny huffed at her. "Kirsch, Betty go back and get the uniforms. Make sure to hide the guards somewhere out of sight."

"Sure thing, D-Bear."

"You and me then?" Carmilla groaned.

Danny reluctantly nodded. She scanned the camp. "Will be best for the recruits to stay here. There will be enough places for them to land and get over the wall if we need them to."

"Sounds like a plan, ginger giant."

"Your recruit ready for this, kitty cat?"

"She'll be fine," Carmilla replied. "Shouldn't I be worried your overgrown puppy might trip and get us killed?"

Kirsch and Betty returned with the uniforms and they ended their argument.

"If we give you the signal drop in and take out any soldiers that are in our path. Go last and follow the others. You'll do fine," Carmila quickly told Laura as she helped her fasten the chest plate.

Once they were dressed as Borgia soldiers, Danny and Carmilla dropped down beside the camp and started to make their way inside.

"Why do they hate each other so much?" Laura asked as she knelt on the wall with Danny's recruits. "They seem to work well together."

"How new are you?" Elizabeth inquired annoyed.

Laura blushed slightly. "Uh, yesterday."

"Great. You better not get us all killed."

"Hey, I'm sure Mattie wouldn't have sent her with us if she wasn't ready," Sarah-Jane shot at Elizabeth.

"Or Mattie is breaking the rules for her little sister," Elizabeth shot back.

"Mattie doesn't treat her like that. Most of the time she is harder on her than the rest of us," Natalie added.

"Oh come on," Elizabeth added. "That is so untrue and Carmilla totally plays it up."

"She doesn't," Kirsh shot back.

"She didn't even tell me. Mattie did," Laura chimed in.

"Seriously, dudes. Be quite and pay attention," Betty said silencing everyone.

They each followed Betty's eyes to two soldiers quickly joining a group of soldiers about to enter the camp.

Danny and Carmilla quickly split off when they were inside the camp to hide between the tents and a fence.

"There," Carmilla whispered to her colleague motioning in front of them.

Danny spotted it and smiled. It was almost too easy. About 10 feet ahead of them the wall of wooden spikes changed to a wall of solid stone that seemed to be left by some long forgotten building.

"Let's go," Danny said.

She went first, running from their spot behind the tents to the stone wall. She dropped onto the outside and started making her way around the compound.

Danny was able to get out of sight before a Borgia guard truly saw her, but he had noticed something in the area and started moving toward Carmilla. She quickly pulled a smoke bomb from her belt and hurled it at the other wall of the campsite.

Carmilla thought the commotion would be enough to distract everyone but Danny thought more was needed. She raised a signal to the recruits.

"Diversion," Kirsh said before he leap off the wall.

"Whoa!" Laura exclaimed still shocked at how fast everything was happening.

"Diversion means no blood, new girl. Mess them up a bit and then run. Make them chase after you and get them away from your assassin," Sarah-Jane informed her.

"Thanks," Laura replied.

"Hey, we were all new once though these jokers don't like to admit it." She then leap off the wall and landed in a hay pile just outside the camp wall.

Laura waited to Natalie to climb out of the hay pile she had landed in and then she jumped down. She was met with yelling and fighting as she pulled herself out.

Kirsch and Betty were swinging punches and swords at soldiers as loud as they could. A solider spotted Laura and ran at her. She dodged his sword and swiped his legs out from under him. She bloodied the next one's nose and shoved the third back into a tent wall.

Then she noticed everyone else was starting to make a break for it. She climbed onto the edge of the cart and launched herself over the wall. She stumbled her landing but was sprinting toward the city by the time a handful of soldiers decided to go after her.

Across the Borgia camp, Danny and Carmilla were following a group of soldiers to what had to be the leader's tent. Once they got a chance they darted off and hide between the back wall of the tent and the wooden wall surrounding the camp.

They listened as closely as they could to the conversation inside. Someone seemed to be questioning other about of some kind of list.

"I assure you, sir. Every possible threat will be in the dungeons for before Cesare arrives," a familiar voice replied.

Danny and Carmilla peered at each other. Carmilla smirked and Danny nodded. It was Theo, the solider who had been rounding up any citizen who was seen as a threat. Mattie was right to pick him out a few weeks ago. He had been leading them to useful information since.

"You only have three more days," the first voice replied.

"Not a problem, sir."

"Cesare will have the Baron with him. He cannot think there is unrest. We need his support moving forward."

"I understand," Theo replied.

"Good. Head to the area around the cathedral. There is far too much trash there," the first voice stated.

"Hey, you!" Someone yelled to Carmilla and Danny's left.

They both turned at the noise.

"Down," Danny instructed.

Carmilla ducked and Danny threw something at the soldier, which lodged in his neck and caused him to collapse.

"Please say that was a poison dart," Carmilla pleaded turning to Danny.

"Relax, Karnstein of course it was," Danny replied as they both turned to the wall.

Carmilla flipped out her hook blade, jumped and caught the edge of the wooden wall. Danny reached and did the same.

"Good. This is better with no bodies," Carmilla replied as they reached the top of the wall and dropped down. They headed toward the headquarters.

"Hope your mini recruit knows that," Danny added.

Carmilla groaned. "I'll bet she makes it back before your gaggle of toddlers do."

"Whoa!" Laura called under her breathe as she leap down onto a slanted roof. She was expecting to slip but she didn't and kept running.

She looked down at the new boots Mattie had given her and smiled. She never would have landed that in the ones she had before.

She was almost back to headquarters. She jumped across an alley and caught the window sill of the nearest building. She scaled it and was at the base of the Assassin's tower. She had lost the last guard a good five minutes ago.

She heard grunting and fighting nearby. She sneak around to the other side of the tower and saw Kirsch trying to fight off two soldiers about 10 roofs over. She looked up at the tower, sighed and then ran towards them.

Laura reached one of the soldiers. She crotched down and swiped out his legs with her right. He stumbled forward into Kirsch and the other solider. All three teetered on the roofs edge for a moment.

Laura grabbed the back of Kirsch's armor and yanked him backward. The two soldiers fell.

"Wow! Thanks, little hottie."

They both peered over the roof. Laura smiled in relief to see the canal below them.

"Let's assume they can swim," Laura stated.

"Good plan," Kirsch replied with a nod.

A few minutes later, they entered the headquarters and headed to the back near their rooms and Mattie's quarters.

"What took the two of you so long?" Mattie questioned them as she turned away from Danny and Carmilla, who appeared to be giving her a report.

"My fault, ma'am," Kirsch informed her. "I couldn't loss these two guys. New girl came to help me out."

"I was almost back but I heard the fighting," Laura added.

Carmilla smirked at Danny, who huffed at her.

"Well did you dispose of them at least?" Mattie questioned.

"I may have knocked them into the canal by accident," Laura told them slowly.

"Do I make you nervous, little one?" Mattie asked with a grin.

Laura fidgeted.

Mattie laughed. "Don't be humble, little girl. That is a prefect disposal. You, puppy be more careful next time."

Mattie strode between Danny and Carmilla and up the stairs to her quarters.

Carmilla smirked at Danny again.

"Fuck you," Danny grumbled as she walked away, Kirsch anxiously followed.

"So I'm great, right?" Laura asked excitedly, bouncing after Carmilla as they walked to their room.

"Not even close, creampuff," Carmilla replied.

"Oh stop being all broody. Even Mattie said I did good," Laura said jumping in front of Carmilla once they reached their room.

"Fine," Carmilla admitted. "You were great. Just like I thought you would be."

"Really?" Laura asked talking a step closer to her.

"Don't act so surprised, cutie," Carmilla told her.

Carmilla felt herself being drawn to her again like she had the day before. She should resist it. She knew she should but she didn't want.

Laura had no such reservations, leaned in and kissed her.


	3. Chapter 3

Laura slowly yawned herself awake. She was overtaken by an intoxicating smell she couldn't place at first. She exclaimed as she jolted up onto her knees beside the cushions in Carmilla's room. Her mouth was gapping open in shock when Carmilla groaned, rubbed her face and saw her.

"Settle down, sqaz," she replied.

"Did I-did you-did we..." Laura stammered.

Carmilla pushed herself up into her elbows. "Oh you don't remember do you, creampuff?"

Laura panicked for a moment. The last thing she remembered was walking to the room with Carmilla. They had had wine, a lot of wine with Mattie, mostly, but Laura had gotten friendly enough with a few of Danny's recruits for them to tolerate Carmilla. There had been some sort of celebration the night before. Laura wasn't sure what the reason for it was. The wine was enough to distract her.

Carmilla watched her squirm for a moment. "Relax, you just moved around in your sleep a lot," she told her as she got up.

"Good, that's...good," Laura replied, though she wasn't entirely sure why.

Carmilla peered up at her and the silence between them seemed far too prolonged.

"Hey...weirdos," Danny said as she leaned around the door frame and peered into the room. "Mel and I are taking our recruits to the training field. Want to come, Karnstein?"

Carmilla raised an eyebrow at her as she fastens her weapons belt around herself.

"Fine," Danny replied annoyed. "The mentor told me to ask you."

"Of course," Carmilla replied.

"Well good," Laura chimed in excited as she walked toward the door. "Another chance for me to show up your recruits. Let's go, Carm."

Laura walked past Danny, leaving the two higher ranking assassins alone.

"I like her," Danny stated.

"Me too," Carmilla replied. She wasn't sure if it was the passage of time or Laura's addition to the order but Danny was being much nicer to her recently.

"Don't get her killed like the last one," Danny hissed before she turned and left.

So much for that, Carmilla thought.

Training went as good as Laura hoped and Carmilla expected. Laura was still getting used to the hidden blade and sometimes she'd forget to use weapons all together and would resort to the scrappy street fighting she was used to.

Carmila would have been more worried if she hadn't defeated Natalie and two of Mel's recruits without even drawing a weapon.

Carmilla smirked on the sidelines with Danny and Mel.

"Don't look so cocky, Karnstein. You still only have the one," Mel threw up in her defense.

After the sparring matches, Laura grinned at Carmilla as she reached her. She was forced to smile back.

"So, what next?" Laura asked.

"I'm supposed to let you lead us around for the day so I can see what you would do on your own," Carmilla informed her.

Laura thought for a moment and then nodded. "OK. Race you to Perry's," she quickly stated as she darted to the nearest building.

She was halfway to the roof when Carmilla huffed to herself and decided to give in and follow her.

She watched Laura fly from roof to roof and scurry when she was on the ground. If she hadn't known differently, Carmilla would have assumed she had been with the assassins for years. As Laura leap and barely made it to the awning of the building across the street, Carmilla didn't jump and realized she knew a short cut. She ran to her right and onto a long stretch of flat roofs. She sprinted across and veered back toward their intended path. She reached the roof of Perry's inn.

She gazed around and didn't see Laura anywhere. She peered down at the front of the building and saw her kneel in front of a frantic young boy in the street. Carmilla quietly climbed down and lurked near them.

"You have to help, Laura," the boy relayed. "They took them, they took all of them."

"It's OK, Gio," Laura said calmly as she put her hands in the boy's shoulders. "I'll get them back."

"Because you're an assassin now?" he asked.

"I could even if I wasn't an assassin, but I have one of the best ones in Roma to help me. And we will all be back here by sundown, so we can still get Perry's dinner," she told him.

"Ok," he said with a teary nod.

"Go inside where you will be safe," she instructed him.

He nodded and went into the inn. Laura took a deep, shaking breath before standing and seeing Carmilla gazing at her.

"You said I get to pick what we do today?" she asked.

Carmilla nodded. "So what will it be, cutie?"

"It sounds like the Borgia army is recruiting kids as spies. Well, recruiting is too nice of a word. Forcing them sounds more accurate," Laura said as she started walking away.

Carmilla followed. "And you know these kids?"

Laura nodded. "I'm kinda like a big sister to a lot of them."

"Ah, so that copy big sister comment was from experience?"

Laura looked slightly embarrassed. "If you have an influx of recruits in about seven years don't blame me."

"I'll be looking forward to that," Carmilla snarked.

Laura rolled her eyes at her.

"Where should we start looking for your little friends?" Carmilla asked.

"The docks," Laura stated.

Carmilla slide to a stop on the last rooftop before the docks. Laura stopped not as gracefully beside her.

The younger assassin moved closer to the edge and peered out into the scene below. The docks were crowded as always. Between the ships, both passenger and cargo, going in and out, ships being loaded and unloaded, multiple vendors yelling trying to sell things and the regular foot traffic for the city, it was chaos.

"I'm never going to find them," Laura stated defeated.

"Just focus, cupcake," Carmilla told her as she stood beside her. "They are out their. You just have to relax and spot them."

Laura exhaled and peered around the docks. Carmilla was pretty certain she had already found them.

"There!" Laura blurted too loudly. "Sorry. That man with the line of kids behind them. They must be headed to that ship. Let's go."

Laura jumped off the roof, landed in the cart of hay below and was running across the dock toward the water before Carmilla had time to react.

"Planning. I have to teach her about planning," Carmilla remained herself before she jumped down and followed her.

She caught up to her in the water as they were both swimming to the far side of the ship.

"The kids looked like they were chained up. I think the Borgia is doing more than making them spies," Laura told her.

"Yeah, I don't think this is the Borgia. As horrible as they are, they aren't stupid enough to get slaves from their own streets," Carmila told her.

"It is still okay that we help them, right?" Laura asked nervously.

Carmilla smiled. "It is your day to pick. But it is also your day to plan, which I hope you have, creampuff," she states as they reached the ship.

"Plan, yeah. I totally have a plan," Laura stammered.

Carmilla sighed as they heard yelling aboard the ship. Carmilla looked over at her recruit and watched the worry wash over her face.

"I'm going to go take a look," Laura whispered as she started climbing the ship.

Carmilla decided to follow.

"There," Laura whispered pointing at the group of children huddled in the corner of the deck.

"And that plan of yours?" Carmilla snarked. She already had worked out two maybe three escape plans for the two of them and the cupcake's band of street children, but she kept her mouth shut.

"I was thinking I would jump up and tell them to follow me. They can all swim, but they're ankles are chained," Laura thought aloud. "Maybe of we could get the keys off one of the guards and then jump in the water."

"Mattie give you something that could help in this situation?" Carmilla offered in assistance.

Laura peered at her confused until her eyes lite up and she made the same dopey face she did when she pulled the hilariously small knife out of her boot. Carmilla forced herself to look away. It was so cute and she could not be falling for her recruit in the middle of a mission while clinging to the side of a ship.

"Lock pick," Laura stated triumphantly as she pulled it from a pouch on her belt. "I'll start working on the kids' shackles and you can take out the pirates."

"There are four them. You sure?"

"I don't mean kill them. Knock them out or whatever, just get them distracted and out of the way long enough for me to get the kids into the water. And throw me the keys if you find them."

"Sure thing."

"Ok," Laura said, taking a deep breathe and looking slightly nervous. "Now!" she hopped over the side and scurried toward the kids.

"Fuck," Carmilla exclaimed under her breathe. Laura leap much fasts than she excepted her to.

Carmilla launched herself onto the rope net leading to the crow's nest. She climbed up a few feet, jumped around to the other sides and released it. She was falling down onto the two pirates that were heading toward Laura. She had said no killing, so Carmilla kept her blades in and punched the two as hard as she could in the backs of their heads as she landed between them. They both hit the wooden deck with a sickening crunch.

"Just as effective, I guess," Carmilla said to herself as she knelt down beside the first guy. She searched through his pockets but found no keys.

She was beside the second guy when the others noticed what she had done.

They yelled something at her in a dialect she barely knew.

"I have no idea what you just said," Carmilla yelled back in German.

It confused him enough for her to get the jump on him. It was her intention. She grabbed his shoulder and threw him down, but then collided his head with her knee. She was pretty sure she heard his nose break.

The fourth guy seemed to hesitate for a moment. It was enough time for her to hear Laura telling someone to jump and then three small splashes in the water.

He finally decided to charge at her. She effortlessly threw him against the slide of the ship. He slumped to the deck. She searched his pockets and found a key ring.

She took it over to Laura. She knelt beside her and handed over the key ring. She glanced them over and then picked one. It was the right one to unlock the shackles from the three remaining kids.

"Come on," Laura told two of them as they quickly took her hands and jumped off the ship with her.

Carmilla was left with one young girl who was staring at her with her mouth agape.

"Uh, I'm a friend of Laura's, " Carmilla said uncertainly.

The girl quickly grabbed her hand. Carmilla jumped over with her. They hit the water and emerged beside Laura and the others.

About an hour later, Carmilla was finishing an ale alone at a table in the counter of Perry's Inn. A table of slightly wet children, wrapped in blankets were quickly eating the food the inn keeper and Laura had placed in front of them. LaF was wandering around too, torn between being as helpful to Perry as they possibly could and tending to any injuries the children had.

"You know if you don't want me to think your assassin royalty, you should probably stop being so great at being an assassin," Laura said with a smile as she pushed another glass of ale in front of Carmilla.

"Well, I couldn't let you die. You're my best in for free drinks," Carmilla replied with a smirk.

Laura rolled her eyes as she pulled the nearest chair close, maybe a little too close to Carmilla and sat beside her.

"Um, who said these were free?" Laura questioned.

"Like Perry is going to make her 'Little Laura' pay for drinks."

Laura laughed. "All right, you got me there. Plus, you'd never let me die. I doubt I'll ever get injured when you're around."

"Don't be so certain," Carmilla stated with a heavy tone.

Laura followed her eyes to LaF, who was joking with one of the boys at the table as they cleaned a cut on his arm. Laura was almost certain whatever Carmilla wasn't telling her, whatever was the reason all the others in the order disliked her and why LaFontaine had stopped being an assassin were all connected. She just had not idea how to approach the subject. She turned her eyes back to Carmilla as she tried to sort it out.

Carmilla felt Laura's eyes on her and looked from her best friend to her recruit.

"You aren't telling me something," Laura said softly.

"I am," she said without breaking their eye contact. "Will you trust me that I will tell you soon?"

Laura nodded. "I trust you." She said it calmly and slowly and it was enough for Carmilla to actual believe her. Laura could see that in her eyes and leaned closer to her.

Laura lingered above Carmilla's lips for a moment. She knew she wanted this. She had wanted Carmilla's lips on hers since she nonchalantly saved her life a few days ago. She had kissed her on the rooftop out of sheer arousal and lust. She didn't think it could be anything more until she saw that the broody, hateful attitude was a defense against the rest of the order and whatever past deed she wouldn't disclose.

Carmilla closed the gap between them. What the hell. She liked this girl and she seemed smart enough to not end up dead.

They were both lost in the passionate kiss. But only a moment later, someone cleared their throat at the end of their table and forced them apart.

"Sorry, but there is an assassin downstairs saying Mattie needs everyone back at HQ," LaF told them. "It seems urgent."


End file.
